Methods and Systems for Fitting a Sound Processor to a Patient Using a Plurality of Pre-Loaded Sound Processing Programs

ABSTRACT

An exemplary system includes a data program loading facility configured to pre-load program data representative of a plurality of sound processing programs onto a sound processor during a data transfer session and a fitting facility selectively and communicatively coupled to the data program loading facility and configured to selectively use one or more of the pre-loaded sound processing programs to fit the sound processor to a cochlear implant patient after completion of the data transfer session.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/847,089, filed Jul. 30, 2010, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The natural sense of hearing in human beings involves the use of haircells in the cochlea that convert or transduce acoustic signals intoauditory nerve impulses. Hearing loss, which may be due to manydifferent causes, is generally of two types: conductive andsensorineural. Conductive hearing loss occurs when the normal mechanicalpathways for sound to reach the hair cells in the cochlea are impeded.These sound pathways may be impeded, for example, by damage to theauditory ossicles. Conductive hearing loss may often be overcome throughthe use of conventional hearing aids that amplify sound so that acousticsignals can reach the hair cells within the cochlea. Some types ofconductive hearing loss may also be treated by surgical procedures.

Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, is caused by the absenceor destruction of the hair cells in the cochlea which are needed totransduce acoustic signals into auditory nerve impulses. People whosuffer from sensorineural hearing loss may be unable to derivesignificant benefit from conventional hearing aid systems, no matter howloud the acoustic stimulus. This is because the mechanism fortransducing sound energy into auditory nerve impulses has been damaged.Thus, in the absence of properly functioning hair cells, auditory nerveimpulses cannot be generated directly from sounds.

To overcome sensorineural hearing loss, numerous cochlear implantsystems—or cochlear prostheses—have been developed. Cochlear implantsystems bypass the hair cells in the cochlea by presenting electricalstimulation directly to the auditory nerve fibers by way of one or morechannels formed by an array of electrodes implanted in the cochlea.Direct stimulation of the auditory nerve fibers leads to the perceptionof sound in the brain and at least partial restoration of hearingfunction.

When a cochlear implant system is initially implanted in a patient, andduring follow-up tests and checkups thereafter, it is usually necessaryto fit the cochlear implant system to the patient. Fitting of a cochlearimplant system to a patient is typically performed by an audiologist orthe like who presents various stimuli to the patient and relies onsubjective feedback from the patient as to how such stimuli areperceived.

It is often desirable during a fitting session to direct a soundprocessor to operate in accordance with a variety of different soundprocessing programs. However, each time the sound processor is directedto switch from one sound processing program to another, the new soundprocessing program has to be loaded onto the sound processor. Thisprocess can take a relatively long amount of time (e.g., 20 seconds ormore) during which the sound processor is inoperable. Such delays arefrustrating to both the audiologist and the patient and often make itdifficult to optimally fit the cochlear implant system to the patient.

SUMMARY

An exemplary method of fitting a sound processor to a cochlear implantpatient includes pre-loading program data representative of a pluralityof sound processing programs onto the sound processor during a datatransfer session and selectively using, after completion of the datatransfer session, one or more of the pre-loaded sound processingprograms to fit the sound processor to the patient.

Another exemplary method of fitting a sound processor to a cochlearimplant patient includes 1) pre-loading program data representative of aplurality of sound processing programs onto the sound processor during adata transfer session, 2) receiving, after completion of the datatransfer session, user input representative of a selection of a firstsound processing program included in the plurality of sound processingprograms, 3) directing, in response to the user input, the soundprocessor to operate in accordance with the first sound processingprogram, 4) receiving, while the sound processor is operating inaccordance with the first sound processing program, additional userinput representative of a selection of a second sound processing programincluded in the plurality of sound processing programs, and 5)directing, in response to the additional user input, the sound processorto dynamically cease operating in accordance with the first soundprocessing program and begin operating in accordance with the secondsound processing program.

An exemplary system for fitting a sound processor to a cochlear implantpatient includes a data program loading facility configured to pre-loadprogram data representative of a plurality of sound processing programsonto the sound processor during a data transfer session and a fittingfacility selectively and communicatively coupled to the data programloading facility and configured to selectively use one or more of thepre-loaded sound processing programs to fit the sound processor to thepatient after completion of the data transfer session.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments and are a partof the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely examplesand do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Throughout the drawings,identical or similar reference numbers designate identical or similarelements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cochlear implant system according toprinciples described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary cochlear implant fitting systemaccording to principles described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of an exemplary fittingsubsystem according to principles described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary components of a sound processor accordingto principles described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the cochlear implantfitting system of FIG. 2 according to principles described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method of fitting a sound processor to apatient according to principles described herein.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an exemplary time-saving benefit of pre-loadingprogram data representative of multiple sound processing programs onto asound processor according to principles described herein.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary graphical user interface (“GUI”) that may bepresented for display according to principles described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary method of fitting a sound processorto a patient according to principles described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary computing device according toprinciples described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems for fitting a sound processor to a patient aredescribed herein. As described in more detail below, a fitting subsystemmay be configured to pre-load program data representative of a pluralityof sound processing programs onto the sound processor during a datatransfer session. After completion of the data transfer session, thefitting subsystem may selectively use one or more of the pre-loadedsound processing programs to fit the sound processor to the patient.

As used herein, the term “sound processing program” refers to anyprogram that is executable by a sound processor included in a cochlearimplant system. Hence, a sound processing program may specify aparticular mode in which the sound processor is to operate. For example,a sound processing program may define a set of control parametersselected to optimize a listening experience of a cochlear implantpatient in a particular listening environment (e.g., a relatively quietroom, a noisy restaurant, a musical environment, etc.). Other soundprocessing programs may be configured to facilitate measurement of oneor more electrode impedances, performance of one or more neural responsedetection operations, and/or performance of one or more diagnosticsprocedures associated with the cochlear implant system. As will bedescribed in more detail below, the fitting subsystem may adjust one ormore control parameters associated with a particular sound processingprogram in response to patient feedback and/or user input in order tocustomize the sound processing program to the cochlear implant patient.

Numerous advantages may be associated with the methods and systemsdescribed herein. For example, by pre-loading program datarepresentative of a plurality of sound processing programs onto thesound processor before commencing a fitting session in which the soundprocessor is fitted to a patient, the fitting subsystem may rapidlyswitch between the sound processing programs without experiencing therelatively substantial delay that is associated with loading each soundprocessing program onto the sound processor each time it is to beexecuted by the sound processor. In this manner, a sound processor maybe more effectively fitted to the patient.

To facilitate an understanding of the methods and systems describedherein, an exemplary cochlear implant system 100 will be described inconnection with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, cochlear implant system 100may include a microphone 102, a sound processor 104, a headpiece 106having a coil 108 disposed therein, an implantable cochlear stimulator(“ICS”) 110, and a lead 112 with a plurality of electrodes 114 disposedthereon. Additional or alternative components may be included withincochlear implant system 100 as may serve a particular implementation.

As shown in FIG. 1, microphone 102, sound processor 104, and headpiece106 may be located external to a cochlear implant patient. In somealternative examples, microphone 102 and/or sound processor 104 may beimplanted within the patient. In such configurations, the need forheadpiece 106 may be obviated.

Microphone 102 may detect an audio signal and convert the detectedsignal to a corresponding electrical signal. The electrical signal maybe sent from microphone 102 to sound processor 104 via a communicationlink 116, which may include a telemetry link, a wire, and/or any othersuitable communication link.

Sound processor 104 is configured to direct implantable cochlearstimulator 110 to generate and apply electrical stimulation (alsoreferred to herein as “stimulation current”) to one or more stimulationsites within a cochlea of the patient. To this end, sound processor 104may process the audio signal detected by microphone 102 in accordancewith a selected sound processing strategy to generate appropriatestimulation parameters for controlling implantable cochlear stimulator110. Sound processor 104 may include or be implemented by abehind-the-ear (“BTE”) unit, a portable speech processor (“PSP”), and/orany other sound processing unit as may serve a particularimplementation. Exemplary components of sound processor 104 will bedescribed in more detail below.

Sound processor 104 may be configured to transcutaneously transmit oneor more control parameters and/or one or more power signals toimplantable cochlear stimulator 110 with coil 108 by way of acommunication link 118. These control parameters may be configured tospecify one or more stimulation parameters, operating parameters, and/orany other parameter by which implantable cochlear stimulator 110 is tooperate as may serve a particular implementation. Exemplary controlparameters include, but are not limited to, stimulation current levels,volume control parameters, program selection parameters, operationalstate parameters (e.g., parameters that turn a sound processor and/or animplantable cochlear stimulator on or off), audio input source selectionparameters, fitting parameters, noise reduction parameters, microphonesensitivity parameters, microphone direction parameters, pitchparameters, timbre parameters, sound quality parameters, mostcomfortable current levels (“M levels”), threshold current levels,channel acoustic gain parameters, front and backend dynamic rangeparameters, current steering parameters, pulse rate values, pulse widthvalues, frequency parameters, amplitude parameters, waveform parameters,electrode polarity parameters (i.e., anode-cathode assignment), locationparameters (i.e., which electrode pair or electrode group receives thestimulation current), stimulation type parameters (i.e., monopolar,bipolar, or tripolar stimulation), burst pattern parameters (e.g., burston time and burst off time), duty cycle parameters, spectral tiltparameters, filter parameters, and dynamic compression parameters. Soundprocessor 104 may also be configured to operate in accordance with oneor more of the control parameters.

As shown in FIG. 1, coil 108 may be housed within headpiece 106, whichmay be affixed to a patient's head and positioned such that coil 108 iscommunicatively coupled to a corresponding coil included withinimplantable cochlear stimulator 110. In this manner, control parametersand power signals may be wirelessly transmitted between sound processor104 and implantable cochlear stimulator 110 via communication link 118.It will be understood that data communication link 118 may include abi-directional communication link and/or one or more dedicateduni-directional communication links. In some alternative embodiments,sound processor 104 and implantable cochlear stimulator 110 may bedirectly connected with one or more wires or the like.

Implantable cochlear stimulator 110 may be configured to generateelectrical stimulation representative of an audio signal detected bymicrophone 102 in accordance with one or more stimulation parameterstransmitted thereto by sound processor 104. Implantable cochlearstimulator 110 may be further configured to apply the electricalstimulation to one or more stimulation sites within the cochlea via oneor more electrodes 114 disposed along lead 112. In some examples,implantable cochlear stimulator 110 may include a plurality ofindependent current sources each associated with a channel defined byone or more of electrodes 114. In this manner, different stimulationcurrent levels may be applied to multiple stimulation sitessimultaneously by way of multiple electrodes 114. In such examples,cochlear implant system 100 may be referred to as a “multi-channelcochlear implant system.”

To facilitate application of the electrical stimulation generated byimplantable cochlear stimulator 110, lead 112 may be inserted within aduct of the cochlea such that electrodes 114 are in communication withone or more stimulation sites within the cochlea. As used herein, theterm “in communication with” refers to electrodes 114 being adjacent to,in the general vicinity of, in close proximity to, directly next to, ordirectly on the stimulation site. Any number of electrodes 114 (e.g.,sixteen) may be disposed on lead 112 as may serve a particularimplementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary cochlear implant fitting system 200 (orsimply “fitting system 200”) that may be used to fit sound processor 104to a patient. As used herein, the terms “fitting a sound processor to apatient” and “fitting a cochlear implant system to a patient” will beused interchangeably to refer to performing one or more fittingoperations associated with sound processor 104 and/or any othercomponent of cochlear implant system 100. Such fitting operations mayinclude, but are not limited to, adjusting one or more controlparameters by which sound processor 104 and/or implantable cochlearstimulator 110 operate, measuring one or more electrode impedances,performing one or more neural response detection operations, and/orperforming one or more diagnostics procedures associated with thecochlear implant system.

As shown in FIG. 2, fitting system 200 may include a fitting subsystem202 configured to be selectively and communicatively coupled to soundprocessor 104 of cochlear implant system 100 by way of a communicationlink 204. Fitting subsystem 202 and sound processor 104 may communicateusing any suitable communication technologies, devices, networks, media,and protocols supportive of data communications.

Fitting subsystem 202 may be configured to perform one or more of thefitting operations described herein. To this end, fitting subsystem 202may be implemented by any suitable combination of computing andcommunication devices including, but not limited to, a fitting station,a personal computer, a laptop computer, a handheld device, a mobiledevice (e.g., a mobile phone), a clinician's programming interface(“CPI”) device, and/or any other suitable component as may serve aparticular implementation. An exemplary implementation of fittingsubsystem 202 will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of fitting subsystem 202. Asshown in FIG. 3, fitting subsystem 202 may include a communicationfacility 302, a user interface facility 304, a fitting facility 306, aprogram loading facility 308, and a storage facility 310, which may becommunicatively coupled to one another using any suitable communicationtechnologies. Each of these facilities will now be described in moredetail.

Communication facility 302 may be configured to facilitate communicationbetween fitting subsystem 202 and sound processor 104. For example,communication facility 302 may be implemented by a CPI device, which mayinclude any suitable combination of components configured to allowfitting subsystem 202 to interface and communicate with sound processor104. Communication facility 302 may additionally or alternativelyinclude one or more transceiver components configured to wirelesslytransmit data (e.g., program data and/or control parameter data) tosound processor 104 and/or wirelessly receive data (e.g., feedback data,impedance measurement data, neural response data, etc.) from soundprocessor 104.

Communication facility 302 may additionally or alternatively beconfigured to facilitate communication between fitting subsystem 302 andone or more other devices. For example, communication facility 302 maybe configured to facilitate communication between fitting subsystem 302and one or more computing devices (e.g., by way of the Internet and/orone or more other types of networks), reference implants, and/or anyother computing device as may serve a particular implementation.

User interface facility 304 may be configured to provide one or moreuser interfaces configured to facilitate user interaction with fittingsubsystem 202. For example, user interface facility 304 may provide agraphical user interface (“GUI”) through which one or more functions,options, features, and/or tools associated with one or more fittingoperations described herein may be provided to a user and through whichuser input may be received. In certain embodiments, user interfacefacility 304 may be configured to provide the GUI to a display device(e.g., a computer monitor) for display.

Fitting facility 306 may be configured to perform one or more of thefitting operations described herein. For example, fitting facility 306may be configured to adjust one or more control parameters by whichsound processor 104 and/or implantable cochlear stimulator 110 operate,direct sound processor 104 to measure one or more electrode impedances,perform one or more neural response detection operations, and/or performone or more diagnostics procedures associated with cochlear implantsystem 100.

In some examples, fitting facility 306 may be configured to selectivelyuse one or more sound processing programs that have been pre-loaded ontosound processor 104 to fit sound processor 104 to a patient. Thepre-loading of the one or more sound processing programs may beperformed by program loading facility 308, as will be described in moredetail below. Exemplary manners in which fitting facility mayselectively use one or more sound processing programs that have beenpre-loaded onto sound processor 104 to fit sound processor 104 to apatient will be described in more detail below.

In some examples, fitting facility 306 may be configured to initializesound processor 104 prior to fitting sound processor 104 to a patient.Such initialization may include, but is not limited to, associatingsound processor 104 with a particular patient (e.g., associating soundprocessor 104 with patient-specific fitting data), associating soundprocessor 104 with a particular implantable cochlear stimulator 110,loading data onto sound processor 104, clearing data from soundprocessor 104, and/or otherwise preparing sound processor 104 for afitting session in which sound processor 104 is to be fitted to apatient.

Program loading facility 308 may be configured to load datarepresentative of one or more sound processing programs onto soundprocessor 104 for use by sound processor 104 during and/or after afitting session. In some examples, program loading facility 308 may beconfigured to pre-load program data representative of a plurality ofsound processing programs onto sound processor 104 during a datatransfer session. In this manner, as will be described in more detailbelow, a user (e.g., an audiologist) of fitting subsystem 202 may directsound processor 104 to switch between multiple sound processing programsduring a fitting session in substantially real-time without having towait for each sound processing program to be individually loaded ontosound processor 104 each time it is to be executed by sound processor104.

In some examples, program loading facility 308 may be configured topre-load program data representative of a plurality of sound processingprograms onto sound processor 104 by transmitting the program data tosound processor 104 and directing sound processor to cache the programdata as a library of sound processing programs in a storage medium(e.g., memory) included within sound processor 104. The program data mayinclude any type of data (e.g., digital signal processing (“DSP”) code)and may be cached within sound processor 104 for any amount of time asmay serve a particular implementation.

Additionally or alternatively, program loading facility 308 mayassociate one or more pre-loaded sound processing programs with one ormore slots associated with sound processor 104 using any suitable“write-to-slot” operation. As used herein, a “slot” is a logical conceptassociating a sound processing program and a set of control parameterswith one of a plurality of program positions selectable via a hardwareswitch disposed on a sound processor (e.g., sound processor 104). When aspecific slot is selected, the sound processor locates the soundprocessing program for that slot, begins executing the located soundprocessing program, and points the executed sound processing program atthe set of control parameters that are also associated with that slot.Because the sound processing programs are already pre-loaded onto soundprocessor 104, the speed at which a write-to-slot operation occurs maybe relatively fast.

In some examples, program loading facility 308 may be implemented by oneor more computing devices located at a site associated with amanufacturer of sound processor 104 (e.g., a factory of the manufacturerand/or a factory of a third-party entity contracted or otherwiseassociated with the manufacturer). In this manner, the pre-loading ofthe program data may be performed by the manufacturer before soundprocessor 104 is delivered to the patient.

Additionally or alternatively, program loading facility 308 may beimplemented by a fitting station and/or other computing device utilizedby a clinician to fit sound processor 104 to a patient. In this manner,the pre-loading of the program data may be performed during aninitialization of sound processor 104 and/or at any point during orafter a fitting session in which sound processor 104 is fit to thepatient.

Storage facility 310 may be configured to maintain program data 312representative of one or more sound processing programs, controlparameter data 314 representative of one or more control parameters, andpatient data 316 representative of data descriptive of or otherwiseassociated with one or more cochlear implant patients. Storage facility310 may be configured to maintain additional or alternative data as mayserve a particular implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary components of sound processor 104. As shownin FIG. 4, sound processor 104 may include a communication facility 402,a processing facility 404, and a storage facility 406, any or all ofwhich may be in communication with one another using any suitablecommunication technologies. Each of these facilities will now bedescribed in more detail.

Communication facility 402 may be configured to facilitate communicationbetween sound processor 104 and fitting subsystem 202. For example,communication facility 402 may be configured to facilitate electricalcoupling of sound processor 104 to a CPI device in order to communicatewith fitting subsystem 202. Communication facility 402 may be furtherconfigured to facilitate communication between sound processor 104 andimplantable cochlear stimulator 110. For example, communication facility402 may include transceiver components configured to wirelessly transmitdata (e.g., control parameters and/or power signals) to implantablecochlear stimulator 110 and/or wirelessly receive data from implantablecochlear stimulator 110.

Processing facility 404 may be configured to perform one or more signalprocessing heuristics on an audio signal presented to the patient. Forexample, processing facility 404 may perform one or more pre-processingoperations, spectral analysis operations, noise reduction operations,mapping operations, and/or any other types of signal processingoperations on a detected audio signal as may serve a particularimplementation. In some examples, processing facility 404 may generateand/or adjust one or more control parameters governing an operation ofimplantable cochlear stimulator 110 (e.g., one or more stimulationparameters defining the electrical stimulation to be generated andapplied by implantable cochlear stimulator 110). In some examples,processing facility 404 may be configured to operate (e.g., processincoming audio signals and/or control implantable cochlear stimulator110) in accordance with one or more sound processing programs providedby fitting subsystem 202 and/or otherwise stored within storage facility406.

Storage facility 406 may be configured to maintain program data 408representative of one or more sound processing programs (which, asdescribed above, may be pre-loaded onto sound processor 104) and controlparameter data 410 representative of one or more control parameters.Storage facility 406 may be configured to maintain additional oralternative data as may serve a particular implementation.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary implementation 500 of fitting system200. In implementation 500, a fitting station 502 may be selectively andcommunicatively coupled to a BTE unit 504 by way of a CPI device 506.BTE unit 504 is merely exemplary of the many different types of soundprocessors that may be used in accordance with the systems and methodsdescribed herein. Fitting station 502 may be selectively andcommunicatively coupled to any other type of sound processor as mayserve a particular implementation.

Fitting station 502 may include any suitable computing device and/orcombination of computing devices and be configured to perform one ormore of the fitting operations described herein. For example, fittingstation 502 may display one or more GUIs configured to facilitatepre-loading of one or more sound processing programs onto BTE unit 504,selection of one or more sound processing programs by which BTE unit 504operates, adjustment of one or more control parameters by which BTE unit504 operates, and/or any other fitting operation as may serve aparticular implementation. Fitting station 502 may be utilized by anaudiologist, a clinician, and/or any other user to fit BTE unit 504 to apatient.

In some examples, fitting station 502 may be located at a siteassociated with a manufacturer of BTE unit 504 (e.g., a factory of themanufacturer and/or a factory of a third-party entity contracted orotherwise associated with the manufacturer). In this manner, fittingstation 502 may be used to pre-load program data onto BTE unit 504before BTE unit 504 is delivered to the patient.

CPI device 506 may be configured to facilitate communication betweenfitting station 502 and BTE unit 504. In some examples, CPI device 506may be selectively and communicatively coupled to fitting station 502and/or BTE unit 504 by way of one or more ports included within fittingstation 502 and BTE unit 504.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 of fitting a sound processorto a patient. While FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary steps according to oneembodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modifyany of the steps shown in FIG. 6. One or more of the steps shown in FIG.6 may be performed by any component or combination of components offitting subsystem 202 and/or fitting station 502.

In step 602, program data representative of a plurality of soundprocessing programs is pre-loaded onto a sound processor (e.g., soundprocessor 104) during a data transfer session. As described above, theprogram data may be pre-loaded onto the sound processor by amanufacturer of the sound processor prior to the sound processor beingdelivered to a patient, during an initialization of the sound processor,and/or at any point before or during a fitting session in which thesound processor is fitted to a patient.

In some examples, step 602 may be performed by transmitting the programdata to the sound processor and directing the sound processor to cachethe program data as a library of sound processing programs in a storagemedium included within the sound processor.

In step 604, after completion of the data transfer session, one or moreof the pre-loaded sound processing programs are selectively used to fitthe sound processor to a cochlear implant patient. Because the programdata has been pre-loaded onto the sound processor, a user of fittingsubsystem 202 may rapidly switch between the sound processing programsduring a fitting session without experiencing the relatively substantialdelay that is associated with loading each sound processing program ontothe sound processor each time it is to be executed by the soundprocessor.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an exemplary time-saving benefit of pre-loadingprogram data representative of multiple sound processing programs onto asound processor during a data transfer session that occurs before afitting session in which one or more of the sound processing programsare used to fit the sound processor to a patient. As shown in FIG. 7A,program data 702 (e.g., program data 702-1, 702-2, and 702-3)representative of three different sound processing programs may bepre-loaded onto BTE unit 504 by fitting station 502 during a datatransfer session. The pre-loading is represented in FIG. 7A by arrow704.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, program data 702 corresponding to each soundprocessing program may be relatively large in size. Because the datatransfer speed may be relatively slow between fitting station 502 andBTE unit 504, it may take a relatively long time to load program data702 onto BTE unit 504. Hence, if program data (e.g., program data 702-1)associated with an individual sound processing program has to be loadedonto BTE unit 504 each time an audiologist or other user directs BTEunit 504 to operate in accordance with the sound processing program,substantial delays may be incurred, which may interrupt or otherwiseinterfere with a fitting session in which BTE unit 504 is fitted to apatient.

Hence, all of the program data 702-1, 702-2, and 702-3 may be pre-loadedonto BTE unit 504 during a single data transfer session that precedesthe fitting session. In this manner, BTE unit 504 may switch betweenand/or execute one or more of the sound processing programs representedby program data 702-1, 702-2, and 702-3 in substantially real-time.

FIG. 7B illustrates that control parameter data 706 representative ofone or more control parameters associated with a sound processingprogram selected for execution by BTE unit 504 may be transmitted byfitting station 502 to BTE unit 504 during a fitting session. Suchtransmission of control parameter data 706 is represented by arrow 708.The one or more control parameters may define which of the soundprocessing programs pre-loaded onto BTE unit 504 is to be executedand/or how the selected sound processing program is executed.

As graphically illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, control parameter data706 is typically substantially smaller in size than program data 702.Hence, control parameter data 706 may be transmitted to BTE unit 504 ina relatively short amount of time compared to the time it takes programdata (e.g., program data 702-1) representative of a sound processingprogram to be transmitted to BTE unit 504.

Returning to FIG. 6, step 604 may be performed by providing a GUIconfigured to facilitate interaction by a user with the plurality ofsound processing programs, receiving user input representative of aselection of a sound processing program included in the plurality ofsound processing programs by way of the GUI, and directing, in responseto the user input, the sound processor to operate in accordance with theselected sound processing program. If the user desires to switch toanother sound processing program, the user may provide additional userinput representative of a selection of the other sound processingprogram by way of the GUI. In response to the additional user input,fitting subsystem 202 may direct the sound processor to dynamicallycease operating in accordance with the initially selected soundprocessing program and begin operating in accordance with the newlyselected sound processing program.

To illustrate, FIG. 8 shows an exemplary GUI 800 that may be presentedfor display by fitting subsystem 202. It will be recognized that GUI 800is merely illustrative of the many different GUIs that may be presentedfor display by fitting subsystem 202. As shown in FIG. 8, GUI 800 mayinclude a plurality of distinct windows 802 (e.g., windows 802-1 and802-2) each corresponding to a particular sound processing program thathas been pre-loaded onto sound processor 104. In the example of FIG. 8,window 802-1 corresponds to a sound processing program named “program A”and window 802-2 corresponds to a sound processing program named“program B”.

A user of fitting subsystem 202 may switch between windows 802 to accessinformation associated with programs A and B, adjust one or more controlparameters associated with each of programs A and B, and/or selectivelystart, stop, and/or resume an execution of programs A and B. Forexample, a user of fitting subsystem 202 may select window 802-1,provide user input representative of one or more control parametersvalues to be used by sound processor 104 while operating in accordancewith program A, and select a “start option” 804 to direct soundprocessor 104 to begin operating in accordance with program A. Whileprogram A is being executed by sound processor 104 or at any timethereafter, the user may select window 802-2, provide user inputrepresentative of one or more control parameters values to be used bysound processor 104 while operating in accordance with program B, andselect a “start option” 806 to direct sound processor 104 to dynamicallycease operating in accordance with program A and to begin operating inaccordance with program B. In this manner, the user may dynamically andrapidly switch between programs A and B in order to more effectively fitsound processor 104 to a patient.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary method 900 of fitting a soundprocessor to a patient. While FIG. 9 illustrates exemplary stepsaccording to one embodiment, other embodiments may omit, add to,reorder, and/or modify any of the steps shown in FIG. 9. One or more ofthe steps shown in FIG. 9 may be performed by any component orcombination of components of fitting subsystem 202 and/or fittingstation 502.

In step 902, program data representative of a plurality of soundprocessing programs is pre-loaded onto a sound processor during a datatransfer session. Step 902 may be performed in any of the ways describedherein.

In step 904, after completion of the data transfer session, user inputrepresentative of a selection of a first sound processing programincluded in the plurality of sound processing programs is received. Step904 may be performed in any of the ways described herein.

In step 906, the sound processor is directed to operate in accordancewith the first sound processing program in response to the user input.Step 906 may be performed in any of the ways described herein.

In step 908, additional user input representative of a selection of asecond sound processing program included in the plurality of soundprocessing programs is received while the sound processor is operatingin accordance with the first sound processing program. Step 908 may beperformed in any of the ways described herein.

In step 910, the sound processor is directed, in response to theadditional user input, to dynamically cease operating in accordance withthe first sound processing program and begin operating in accordancewith the second sound processing program. Step 910 may be performed inany of the ways described herein.

In certain embodiments, one or more of the components and/or processesdescribed herein may be implemented and/or performed by one or moreappropriately configured computing devices. To this end, one or more ofthe systems and/or components described above may include or beimplemented by any computer hardware and/or computer-implementedinstructions (e.g., software) embodied on a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium configured to perform one or more of theprocesses described herein. In particular, system components may beimplemented on one physical computing device or may be implemented onmore than one physical computing device. Accordingly, system componentsmay include any number of computing devices, and may employ any of anumber of computer operating systems.

In certain embodiments, one or more of the processes described hereinmay be implemented at least in part as instructions executable by one ormore computing devices. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor)receives instructions, from a tangible computer-readable medium, (e.g.,a memory, etc.), and executes those instructions, thereby performing oneor more processes, including one or more of the processes describedherein. Such instructions may be stored and/or transmitted using any ofa variety of known non-transitory computer-readable media.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium (also referred to as aprocessor-readable medium) includes any non-transitory medium thatparticipates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read bya computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a non-transitorymedium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatilemedia and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, forexample, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatilemedia may include, for example, dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”),which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms ofnon-transitory computer-readable media include, for example, a floppydisk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, a RAM, a PROM, anEPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any othernon-transitory medium from which a computer can read.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary computing device 1000 that may beconfigured to perform one or more of the processes described herein. Asshown in FIG. 10, computing device 1000 may include a communicationinterface 1002, a processor 1004, a storage device 1006, and aninput/output (“I/O”) module 1008 communicatively connected via acommunication infrastructure 1010. While an exemplary computing device1000 is shown in FIG. 10, the components illustrated in FIG. 10 are notintended to be limiting. Additional or alternative components may beused in other embodiments. Components of computing device 1000 shown inFIG. 10 will now be described in additional detail.

Communication interface 1002 may be configured to communicate with oneor more computing devices. Examples of communication interface 1002include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as anetwork interface card), a wireless network interface (such as awireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitableinterface. Communication interface 1002 may additionally oralternatively provide such a connection through, for example, a localarea network (such as an Ethernet network), a personal area network, atelephone or cable network, a satellite data connection, a dedicatedURL, or any other suitable connection. Communication interface 1002 maybe configured to interface with any suitable communication media,protocols, and formats, including any of those mentioned above.

Processor 1004 generally represents any type or form of processing unitcapable of processing data or interpreting, executing, and/or directingexecution of one or more of the instructions, processes, and/oroperations described herein. Processor 1004 may direct execution ofoperations in accordance with one or more applications 1012 or othercomputer-executable instructions such as may be stored in storage device1006 or another non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Storage device 1006 may include one or more data storage media, devices,or configurations and may employ any type, form, and combination of datastorage media and/or device. For example, storage device 1006 mayinclude, but is not limited to, a hard drive, network drive, flashdrive, magnetic disc, optical disc, random access memory (“RAM”),dynamic RAM (“DRAM”), other non-volatile and/or volatile data storageunits, or a combination or sub-combination thereof. Electronic data,including data described herein, may be temporarily and/or permanentlystored in storage device 1006. For example, data representative of oneor more executable applications 1012 (which may include, but are notlimited to, one or more of the software applications described herein)configured to direct processor 1004 to perform any of the operationsdescribed herein may be stored within storage device 1006. In someexamples, data may be arranged in one or more databases residing withinstorage device 1006.

I/O module 1008 may be configured to receive user input and provide useroutput and may include any hardware, firmware, software, or combinationthereof supportive of input and output capabilities. For example, I/Omodule 1008 may include hardware and/or software for capturing userinput, including, but not limited to, a keyboard or keypad, a touchscreen component (e.g., touch screen display), a receiver (e.g., an RFor infrared receiver), and/or one or more input buttons.

I/O module 1008 may include one or more devices for presenting output toa user, including, but not limited to, a graphics engine, a display(e.g., a display screen, one or more output drivers (e.g., displaydrivers), one or more audio speakers, and one or more audio drivers. Incertain embodiments, I/O module 1008 is configured to provide graphicaldata to a display for presentation to a user. The graphical data may berepresentative of one or more graphical user interfaces and/or any othergraphical content as may serve a particular implementation.

In some examples, any of the facilities described herein may beimplemented by or within one or more components of computing device1000. For example, one or more applications 1012 residing within storagedevice 1006 may be configured to direct processor 1004 to perform one ormore processes or functions associated with communication facility 302,user interface facility 304, fitting facility 306, program loadingfacility 308, communication facility 402, and/or processing facility404. Likewise, storage facility 310 and/or storage facility 406 may beimplemented by or within storage device 1006.

In the preceding description, various exemplary embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. Forexample, certain features of one embodiment described herein may becombined with or substituted for features of another embodimentdescribed herein. The description and drawings are accordingly to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a data program loadingfacility configured to pre-load program data representative of aplurality of sound processing programs onto a sound processor during adata transfer session; and a fitting facility selectively andcommunicatively coupled to the data program loading facility andconfigured to selectively use one or more of the pre-loaded soundprocessing programs to fit the sound processor to a cochlear implantpatient after completion of the data transfer session.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a user interface facility communicativelycoupled to the fitting facility and configured to provide a graphicaluser interface configured to facilitate interaction by a user with theplurality of sound processing programs.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the fitting facility is configured to selectively use one ormore of the pre-loaded sound processing programs to fit the soundprocessor to the patient by: receiving, by way of the graphical userinterface, user input representative of a selection of a first soundprocessing program included in the plurality of sound processingprograms; directing, in response to the user input, the sound processorto operate in accordance with the first sound processing program;receiving, by way of the graphical user interface while the soundprocessor is operating in accordance with the first sound processingprogram, additional user input representative of a selection of a secondsound processing program included in the plurality of sound processingprograms; and directing, in response to the additional user input, thesound processor to dynamically cease operating in accordance with thefirst sound processing program and begin operating in accordance withthe second sound processing program.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of sound processing programs comprises at least one of asound processing program configured for use in a relatively quietenvironment, a sound processing program configured for use in arelatively noisy environment, a sound processing program configured foruse in a musical environment, and a sound processing program configuredfor diagnostic use.
 5. A system comprising: at least one physicalcomputing device that is separate from a sound processor and thatpre-loads a plurality of independently executable sound processingprograms onto the sound processor during a data transfer session whilethe sound processor is selectively and communicatively coupled to the atleast one physical computing device, wherein each independentlyexecutable sound processing program included in the plurality ofindependently executable sound processing programs is associated with adistinct set of control parameters; and selectively uses, aftercompletion of the data transfer session and while the sound processor isstill selectively and communicatively coupled to the at least onephysical computing device, the pre-loaded independently executable soundprocessing programs to fit the sound processor to a cochlear implantpatient by directing the sound processor to switch between executing thepre-loaded independently executable sound processing programs during afitting session in response to user input by presenting a graphical userinterface by way of a display screen that is a part of the at least onephysical computing device, the graphical user interface including afirst window corresponding to a first independently executable soundprocessing program included in the plurality of independently executablesound processing programs, and a second window corresponding to a secondindependently executable sound processing program included in theplurality of independently executable sound processing programs,receiving, by way of the graphical user interface, first user inputrepresentative of a selection of a first option displayed in the firstwindow, and directing, in response to the first user input, the soundprocessor to operate in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program.
 6. The system of claim 5, whereinthe at least one physical computing device pre-loads the plurality ofindependently executable sound processing programs onto the soundprocessor by: transmitting the plurality of independently executablesound processing programs to the sound processor; and directing thesound processor to cache the plurality of independently executable soundprocessing programs in a storage medium included within the soundprocessor.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one physicalcomputing device performs the pre-loading prior to the sound processorbeing delivered to the patient.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the atleast one physical computing device initializes the sound processor,wherein the pre-loading is performed during the initialization.
 9. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the at least one physical computing devicedirects the sound processor to switch between executing the pre-loadedindependently executable sound processing programs during the fittingsession by: receiving, by way of the graphical user interface while thesound processor is operating in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program, second user input representative ofa selection of a second option displayed in the second window; anddirecting, in response to the second user input, the sound processor todynamically cease operating in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program and begin operating in accordancewith the second independently executable sound processing program. 10.The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one physical computingdevice facilitates adjustment of one or more control parameters in thedistinct set of control parameters associated with one or more of theindependently executable sound processing programs by way of thegraphical user interface.
 11. The system of claim 5, wherein the atleast one physical computing device selectively uses the one or more ofthe pre-loaded independently executable sound processing programs to fitthe sound processor to the patient by: receiving additional user inputrepresentative of a request to adjust one or more control parameters inthe distinct set of control parameters associated with a particularindependently executable sound processing program included in theplurality of independently executable sound processing programs; andtransmitting control parameter data to the sound processor in responseto the user input, the control parameter data configured to direct thesound processor to adjust the one or more control parameters inaccordance with the additional user input.
 12. The system of claim 5,wherein the plurality of sound processing programs comprises at leastone of a sound processing program configured for use in a relativelyquiet environment, a sound processing program configured for use in arelatively noisy environment, a sound processing program configured foruse in a musical environment, and a sound processing program configuredfor diagnostic use.
 13. A system comprising: a sound processor includedin a cochlear implant system; and a fitting subsystem configured to beselectively and communicatively coupled to the sound processor, whereinthe fitting subsystem is further configured to pre-load a plurality ofindependently executable sound processing programs onto the soundprocessor during a data transfer session while the sound processor isselectively and communicatively coupled to the fitting subsystem,wherein each independently executable sound processing program includedin the plurality of independently executable sound processing programsis associated with a distinct set of control parameters; and selectivelyuse after completion of the data transfer session and while the soundprocessor is still selectively and communicatively coupled to thefitting subsystem, the pre-loaded independently executable soundprocessing programs to fit the sound processor to a cochlear implantpatient by directing the sound processor to switch between executing thepre-loaded independently executable sound processing programs during afitting session in response to user input by presenting a graphical userinterface by way of a display screen that is a part of the fittingsubsystem, the graphical user interface including a first windowcorresponding to a first independently executable sound processingprogram included in the plurality of independently executable soundprocessing programs, and a second window corresponding to a secondindependently executable sound processing program included in theplurality of independently executable sound processing programs,receiving, by way of the graphical user interface, first user inputrepresentative of a selection of a first option displayed in the firstwindow, and directing, in response to the first user input, the soundprocessor to operate in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe fitting subsystem is configured to pre-load the plurality ofindependently executable sound processing programs onto the soundprocessor by: transmitting the plurality of independently executablesound processing programs to the sound processor; and directing thesound processor to cache the plurality of independently executable soundprocessing programs in a storage medium included within the soundprocessor.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the fitting subsystem isconfigured to perform the pre-loading prior to the sound processor beingdelivered to the patient.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein thefitting subsystem is configured to initialize the sound processor,wherein the pre-loading is performed during the initialization.
 17. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the fitting subsystem is configured todirect the sound processor to switch between executing the pre-loadedindependently executable sound processing programs during the fittingsession by: receiving, by way of the graphical user interface while thesound processor is operating in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program, second user input representative ofa selection of a second option displayed in the second window; anddirecting, in response to the second user input, the sound processor todynamically cease operating in accordance with the first independentlyexecutable sound processing program and begin operating in accordancewith the second independently executable sound processing program. 18.The system of claim 13, wherein the fitting subsystem is configured tofacilitate adjustment of one or more control parameters in the distinctset of control parameters associated with one or more of theindependently executable sound processing programs by way of thegraphical user interface.
 19. The system of claim 13, wherein thefitting subsystem is configured to selectively use the one or more ofthe pre-loaded independently executable sound processing programs to fitthe sound processor to the patient by: receiving additional user inputrepresentative of a request to adjust one or more control parameters inthe distinct set of control parameters associated with a particularindependently executable sound processing program included in theplurality of independently executable sound processing programs; andtransmitting control parameter data to the sound processor in responseto the user input, the control parameter data configured to direct thesound processor to adjust the one or more control parameters inaccordance with the additional user input.
 20. The system of claim 13,wherein the plurality of sound processing programs comprises at leastone of a sound processing program configured for use in a relativelyquiet environment, a sound processing program configured for use in arelatively noisy environment, a sound processing program configured foruse in a musical environment, and a sound processing program configuredfor diagnostic use.